Cirque
by ThornManiaLilyCharliZorianna
Summary: A different reality. A separate world. This is Le Cirque. Teen for nearly naked mutants, action, and tricks of a special kind.
1. Chapter 1

Jean and Scott glanced around at the other people. They looked just as confused. There was nothing out here. Jean sighed, the Professor had sensed a group of mutants running a moving show of some sort, most recently set up here. He was confused as to why it had not shown up before and asked them to investigate. They had caught a ride with the people going to see the last show. At the moment, they were in front of a bunch of trees, as per the instructions given.

Then, a small fire lit up in a dish on the ground, revealing a small path. The group began to follow the path, following the lights that lit up one by one before them, and extinguished behind them. Finally, they broke into a clearing of sorts. The path continued on into a large rough circle of dirt. Benches surrounded half of it, slightly above it. The small dishes of fire grew in size the closer they got, eventually becoming unlit large dishes held on crossed platforms. Through the gloom they could make out a few tents and sleeping bags scattered around the rest of the clearing, as though abandoned. The entire effect was unnerving. They sat in the benches, and the final flames went out, plunging them into complete darkness. One woman screamed in surprise and fear.

A voice called out through the gloom.

"Ladies and gentlemen, don't be frightened! We don't mean to scare you. Much," The voice laughed, "The performers of Le Cirque would like to welcome you. I am the Ringmaster, the Mistress of Illusions. What I want you to sense, you will. Now, I would like to begin."

The large dishes suddenly caught fire, igniting the pit in hellish light, and revealing a girl, no more than eighteen, leaning forward onto a hand carved knobbed cane. Her eyes were shadowed by the dark grey hat, similar to a short top hat, which sat on top of her head of long ebony hair. She smiled up at them with black lips. On her lower half, she wore tight-fitted grey pants tucked into tall black buckled boots, and Jean was uncomfortably aware that her upper half was only covered up only by a loose black coat, ending slightly below her hips, but thankfully, it covered what it needed too. Her skin was a pale porcelain and was almost stretched over her excessively thin frame, etching out her collarbone. She did not appear to belong in this place.

Then she turned her head up to them to reveal blood red eyes framed in black bangs, and the midnight lips parted to reveal sharp teeth lit up in her smile. The two heard some of the crowd recoil in shock.

She laughed again.

"Please, enjoy yourself. Like I said, we'll try not to frighten you. Mag, if you would."

A young girl entered from the shadows and stood before them. Blue tattoo like things wriggled and moved around on her skin. She smiled at them with eyes of lapis lazuli. She lifted her hands into the air and they shot out of her nails, curling and twisting in the air.

And that was how it went. They performed silent acts, did tricks, made jokes with the audience. None older than the leader. None were laughed at unless supposed too. All applauded. All startled and amazed the audience. They showed off their powers, smiling secretively. Then, they vanished. The fires dimmed slightly.

"Now, one more performance. Ker."

A tall girl slunk into the light. She looked up at them and they gasped. A bandage cloth wrapped around where her eyes should've been. Lightning scars arced away from beneath the cloth.

Everyone fell silent as she spoke, her quiet voice echoing throughout the open area, "May I have a few volunteers?"

A few rose their hands, and after a moment's hesitation, Jean did as well. The Ringmaster glanced up at them with her red eyes, and smiled.

"You five," She said, pointing to those with raised hands, "Come here."

They obeyed.

The blind girl spoke again, "Now, please, stand here, in a line. Think of a question. Anything about you. Your personality, your history, where something is. I will tell you. I ask the audience to please stay quiet. I must concentrate."

They obeyed, and she slowly made her way down the line, each time taking their hand softly and answering the given question perfectly, her head looking up at them.

Finally, she got to Jean. As she took her hand, her head snapped up to face the older woman. Even though Jean knew that the girl couldn't see her, she felt as though the girl was looking straight into her.

"Ask your question."

"Um…What is the name of the person I'm with?"

"Scott."

"That's right."

The girl smiled, and it gave Jean an eerie feeling.

"Of course it is."

She let go of Jean's hand, and stepped away. The audience erupted as the girl bowed. The girl simply walked up to the Ringmaster, whispered something in her ear, and disappeared. The Ringmaster nodded to herself, then turned back to the crowd.

"Thank you for coming. I do hope we didn't scare you too much, and had some fun, we sure did. _Au revoir._"

Everyone began to file out, but Scott and Jean stayed. They watched the Ringmaster turn and vanish into the gloom.

"She could tell who we were. I know it."

A young boy they hadn't seen before appeared next to them, skin of pure white, with small horns growing from his head.

"Rin wants you to come to see her."

Without an answer, he turned and walked away. They glanced at each other and followed.


	2. Chapter 2

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They stared about the open space. More lights were placed about now that their audience had left, and a fire sparked in the center of the place, but otherwise, nothing had changed. Their guide had vanished and presently, the ringmaster appeared, flanked by the scaled girl and Ker. She stopped in front of them, leaning on the cane that she parked in front of her with both hands, bowing slightly.

"Hello. _Je m'appelle _Rin. And you?"

Jean took a moment to realize she was asking their names and jumped a bit. Without an audience, the girl's accent was thicker, her smile calmer. It had distracted her. She responded.

"I'm Jean and this is Scott."

Scott was busy surveying his surroundings. She sighed inwardly at this fact. He was there to help, not sightsee.

The girl chuckled slightly. Jean was getting the impression that the manic demeanor she had held during the show was just another facet of the act.

"Well, _le plaisir _is mine."

She smiled at them, revealing the dagger teeth.

"What can we do for you?"

"We're from a school for mutants. We wanted to talk to you about your group and about you possibly joining the institute."

She nodded, glancing at Ker, "Walk with me."

They obeyed. For a crippled teen, she could walk surprisingly fast, having learned how to maneuver around her injury.

She was leading them to a large tent pitched in the farthest end of the clearing. As they walked on, Jean noticed that several of the children were watching them with a vague form of curiosity. One of the young men in particular caught her eye with a large grin. She hadn't seen this boy either.

Standing around at _least_ 6'8", the boy, probably sixteen, was a large specimen of man, shirtless and muscled. He had no ears or nose to speak of, dark blue skin, and even darker eyes. But that wasn't his oddest feature. That was his four arms, two of which were holding a barrel over his shoulder. The grin was blinding, but exceedingly mischievous, as if he knew something she didn't. He waved, then turned, being called by the children surrounding the fire.

They reached the tent. Rin pushed the flap aside, allowing them entrance. Inside was a couple of makeshift chairs, desk, and a screen of sorts shielding a bed and generalized changing area. She gestured to two of the chairs.

"Have a seat."

She remained standing.

"So, _parler."_

They got her drift.

"The man who runs the school we come from, Professor Xavier, runs a school where mutants can openly practice their mutations and learn."

She nodded.

"He is…like Ker, and told us to come here to ask you after he sensed you."

"It sounds as if your _professeur _has been in business for quite some time. Why has he not appeared before now?"

"For some reason he didn't sense you before now."

She chuckled quietly, "_Je comprends._ Recently Ker fell sick and her, ah, bubble, dropped. We were exposed."

So that girl had been protecting them until recently. She had to be pretty strong. Or the professor hadn't been paying that much attention to the woods in his occasional sweeps.

"So…What do you think?"

Silence, then the quiet chuckle, "Do you know why this cirque exists? Children are drawn to it. A _sanctuaire_ for young mutants who run. We give them home, a job. When they feel old enough, they go. We do not hold them against their will and they are free to do as they please. I may take care of them, but I do not own them. I have no way to answer that question on my own. However, if you would allow me to go and speak with my family, I might be able to."

They glanced at each other, then nodded. She smiled, standing.

"Then, if you would wait here, _s'il vous plait."_

She stood and left the tent, leaving them to wait her out.

here...


End file.
